Home Life: Poems

In the tradition of dirty realism and literary minimalism, a contemporary American poet sheds light on the unseen aspects of domestic life.

In his second collection of poetry, Jon Bishop looks at the underbelly of family life and relationships. With an unflinching eye, Bishop shows the impact of domestic violence on a child who bears witness, the pathos that precedes the end of a romance, and the sense of loss we feel when the career that we have worked for and the house we once called home slips away from us. With insight and dark humor, in free verse as well as metered, Bishop’s poetry offers a stark, shrewd look at the inherent calamities of modern life and relationships.

Jon Bishop began writing at a young age and hasn’t stopped since. He began publishing his work in high school and college and then, following graduation, worked as a journalist for four years, honing his abilities. Bishop received his master’s degree in English literature, which is when he began to take poetry seriously. After leaving the newspaper business, he decided to focus exclusively on his work as a poet. Home Life is his second poetry collection. Bishop lives with his family in New Hampshire.